Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 312 What siblings? These are siblings.
There were four people in the courtyard, three of whom were looking at him strangely.

Liu Jing isn't stupid; he's not just spouting nonsense. He's made a mistake.

Especially Sisi, who pursed her lips, wanting to laugh but holding it in, yet finding it hard not to laugh.

She silently complained, and her point was clear, but it was impossible to tell what she was talking about.

What profound meaning? Too profound. It's too highbrow and inaccessible to the average person. We're just common folk, so we don't understand it.

Liu Jing quickly added, "Although I haven't watched it closely, this play is definitely a hidden gem. The fact that no one understands it now only shows their shallowness. As time goes by and as the years pass, everyone will discover its brilliance."

"Aha..." Sisi chuckled twice. You're such a clever little devil.

How could she not laugh? Liu Jing didn't just not look closely; he didn't look at all. At most, he glanced at a few comments online, which he did while reading the comments on "Sacred Flame Token."

I didn't understand this sentence; it was what she told Liu Jing.

During those days, Liu Jing was busy promoting "The Yin-Yang Sacred Flame Order". She took several of her best friends to the cinema to watch "The Sun Also Rises".

After watching it, everyone said they didn't understand it very well.

Sisi is relieved. I didn't understand it either, and I'm sure everyone else does too. This show is a waste; it won't get in the way.

"Brother, tell me, should I cry or laugh?" Jiang Wen asked wistfully, unsure of who to turn to for advice.

Jiang Wen has been eating salt for so many years, he's not doing it for nothing, so he understands what's going on.

He regarded Liu Jing as his biggest rival and read "The Yin-Yang Sacred Fire Token" five times.

As a result, Liu Jing didn't even watch his performance once.

"You should laugh. Only those who haven't seen it can give the most reasonable and fair opinion." Liu Jing has such a thick skin.

“If you can’t convince me, I’ll drink alone with you tonight,” Jiang Wen threatened, then held up three fingers. “I have three things to say, and you give me three suggestions. In exchange, I’ll drink three glasses for you tonight. That kid Huang Lei is just a little brother in front of me. If I use even a fraction of my strength, he’ll be kneeling down and calling me brother.”

This is no exaggeration at all; one is a proud lion, and the other is a clever fox.

Jiang Wen was born in 1963 and was a student in the Central Academy of Drama in 80. Huang Lei is eight years younger than Jiang Wen and was a student in the Beijing Film Academy in 90, in the same class as Jiang Wu.

Jiang Wen debuted in 1985 with his role as Puyi in "The Last Empress." He even visited Puyi's younger brother, Pujie, specifically for the role. With the help of his ex-girlfriend, his debut was his peak. Over the past twenty years, he has won numerous awards and received countless nominations.

He won the Golden Eagle Award for Best Actor once, the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor twice, and also won the Golden Horse Award for Best Director and the Cannes Jury Prize.

Huang Lei only debuted in 1990, and his awards are nowhere near those of Jiang Wen.

However, both of their ex-girlfriends were quite remarkable; one was a legend in the film industry, and the other was a star in the music industry.

These are not the biggest issues. Jiang Wen holds a pivotal position in Beijing's social circle, far surpassing even Huang Lei.

With no real achievements and a very low social standing, Huang Lei is truly a junior.

"First, from a technical standpoint, the release date was set hastily. Leaving aside our film *The Yin-Yang Sacred Flame Order*, the promotional campaigns for *Assembly*, *The Warlords*, and *Lust, Caution* all started at the end of September. The hype and promotional channels were all absorbed by these other films." Liu Jing didn't seem to care. He hadn't seen the films, but he had experience. His experience allowed him to extract opinions and transform them into suggestions.

"Spring and Autumn produced 'The Sacred Flame of Yin and Yang,' and Eagle Emperor produced 'Fate Calls for Transfer.' You two are really something, being investors in 'The Sun Also Rises.' You're attacking my film from both ends." Jiang Wen was very distressed, downing his tea in one gulp as if he were drinking alcohol.

"When filming for 'The Sacred Flame' started, the plan was to release it around National Day. In order to speed up the process and make way for 'Under the City Wall,' Liu Jing slept in his office for half a month." Qianqian was unhappy to hear this, as if our family was bullying you.

"Director Liu Jing, lead actor Liu Jing, editor Liu Jing, and I heard he also did the action design and screenwriting. He takes on so many roles and is so efficient. My husband, Lao Jiang, should learn from him," Zhou Yun exclaimed.

"Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just venting," Jiang Wen quickly explained.

"Secondly, this is an art film. The publicity focused on Jiang Wen's return, but failed to clearly convey the story's theme, leading to confusion among audiences. The lack of prior explanation regarding the film's art film nature caught mainstream audiences off guard. Those going to the cinema during the National Day holiday were primarily expecting commercial blockbusters. Early negative reviews led to a spread of negative word-of-mouth, causing a sharp drop in subsequent viewership and a precipitous decline in box office revenue the following week." Liu Jing dismissed this as insignificant.

"Sigh!" Jiang Wen sighed.

"Third, Lao Jiang, your market appeal is insufficient. Previously, 'Devils on the Doorstep' was banned from screening, and although 'In the Heat of the Sun' is a classic, it is still a long time old, and the general audience has a vague understanding of your style."

“You were right about something just now. The audience may not understand it now, but I believe they will in ten years.” Jiang Wen perked up and listened to Liu Jing’s analysis, and suddenly felt much better.

He became even more certain of one fact: this person was not just a name without substance, but truly capable.

"Liu Jing, analyze this again. Why was the Yin-Yang Sacred Fire Token able to succeed? Let my old Jiang die a quicker death," Zhou Yun couldn't help but say.

"What? You want to remarry so I can die?" Jiang Wen glared, his beard bristling.

"Liu Jing, you name three things too, and I'll drink three cups for you tonight." Zhou Yun said with a grin, not intimidated by Jiang Wen at all.

She also had her own plans. Her husband didn't have many ulterior motives for coming here; he just wanted to have some friendly exchanges with Liu Jing.

Zhou Yun had many ideas. The Beijing circle was large and powerful, but it was also full of factions, and the competition for resources was fierce.

Her agent is Wong Jing-hua, and competition among top agents is fierce. However, with Jiang Wen by her side, she has no shortage of resources.

Besides, since having a child, her interest in acting has waned.

She was mainly thinking about her husband; his acting style was just too bizarre.

Not only is the shooting period long, but cost overruns are also a major problem, often scaring away investors.

"The Sun Also Rises" is a prime example. Taihe Investment initially budgeted 30 million yuan. After spending half the money, the film was only 30% complete. Taihe cut its losses in time and didn't invest the remaining half.

Han Sanping couldn't bear to see the filming stop, so he brought in Eagle King.

Eagle King asked Jiang Wen how much more money was needed to finish filming.

Jiang Wen said, "Taihe has spent 1800 million. You guys can invest another 2200 million to make it 4000 million." He knew his limitations and didn't dare say that this amount of money would be enough to finish the filming. Eagle King didn't understand the linguistic trap either.

The 40 million has been spent, and the movie is only half-finished. Now even the Eagle King is having second thoughts and refuses to invest any more money.

They were eager to enter the mainland market at the time, so they gritted their teeth and spent more than 20 million yuan, hoping to set an example of spending a fortune to acquire a horse's bones.

Eagle King was unwilling to continue spending money, so Lao Han helped Jiang Wen to matchmake with Chunqiu.

Zhang Min was looking to enter the film market at the time, and without hesitation, she put in ten million yuan, bringing her total investment to fifty million yuan.

With the money in his account, Jiang Wen became even more enthusiastic. Soon, the film ran out, and there was no money left to buy more. The film wasn't even finished shooting, and post-production costs were already overdrawn.

Neither Eagle King nor Spring and Autumn was willing to be taken advantage of again. Who knew if throwing in another ten million would be the end of it?

Jiang Wen gave up his 10 million yuan salary as director and actor, his younger brother Jiang Wu contributed 7 to 8 million yuan, and his wife Zhou Yun contributed over 4 million yuan. For overseas distribution, they also raised some funds from France.

The film had a budget of nearly 70 million, with 12 million spent on film. The entire film used Kodak 35mm film, costing three times more than digital shooting.

The filming of "In the Heat of the Sun" burned 25 feet of film, forcing producer Manfred Wong to seek loans from Hong Kong investors and Golden Harvest.

The filming of "Devils on the Doorstep" burned 48 feet of film, keeping Dong Ping up at night and giving Wang Zhongjun a real headache. What worried him even more was that the film failed to pass censorship, and tens of millions of yuan of investment went down the drain.

Generally speaking, the ratio of finished films to unfinished films in domestic productions is 1:3, but Jiang Wen can achieve 1:15.

How could Zhou Yun not be worried? Her husband doesn't even consider the concept of a budget. If this continues, who would dare hire him for acting roles? If no one hires him, how will he earn money to support the family?

Chunqiu was a big spender, famously never short of money, and Zhou Yun began to consider befriending him.

If I can serve these two young masters well, then the Spring and Autumn Annals will be a piece of cake.

Making friends with worthy people doesn't mean blindly flattering them; Zhou Yun understood this principle well.

"You took three drinks for him?" Sisi asked in surprise. "You're going to drink tonight too?"
Good heavens, what am I going to do?

My Liu Jing will definitely drink your Jiang Wen under the table. If you don't drink, you can bring him home safely. If you do drink, it's hard to say whether you'll survive.

Sisi hesitated. Today was a celebration for Liu Jing entering the 100 million yuan club, and she was sure she would be the main person to be forced to drink.

Even though they knew Liu Jing was in good health, he didn't have a limit to alcohol consumption, except when he blacked out.

But drinking is harmful to health, and having someone who can take a few drinks can also relieve Liu Jing's pressure.

"My alcohol tolerance is so-so, and I rarely drink after getting married. But I can still handle three drinks without any problem." Zhou Yun smiled and took the opportunity to impart her husband-taming skills, "When men drink, we can't let them drink as much as they want, but we can't spoil the fun either. They work outside and are under a lot of pressure. Drinking is a way to relieve stress, and it's better than messing around with other women."

Her ability to subdue the proud lion speaks volumes about her skill.

Ordinary people have a gossipy nature, and celebrities are human too; their gossipy nature is no less than that of ordinary people.

The relationship between the siblings is shrouded in mystery. People outside the entertainment industry always believe that their relationship is pure, while those within the industry are filled with rumors and gossip.

It's the same for people inside and outside the circle; some believe it, and some don't.

Zhou Yun learned the news from Wang Jinghua and then asked her husband about it.

Jiang Wen said, "Don't take any news in the entertainment industry seriously. If you haven't seen it with your own eyes, don't believe a single one of the so-called 'insider' stories. What you know is either something the other party deliberately let you know, something an opponent intentionally exposed to smear or frame you for, or something to cover up other information."

If Sister Li heard what Jiang Wen said, she would be even more speechless. Good heavens, she spread a lot of rumors, even had solid evidence, but nobody believed her. A whole bunch of people actively helped Qianqian refute the rumors, refuting one by one the evidence she secretly spread.

Sister Li was heartbroken. Should I post the photos of the two of them cuddling and making out? If I do, they'll never invite me to any holidays again.

Zhou Yun was skeptical, but she observed with a probing gaze. In just over ten minutes since she entered the room, she had already discerned the secret between the siblings.

There are certain glances and gestures that even the closest siblings can't do; they're unique to couples.

"Sister-in-law, you'll have to fend off the drinks for your husband later. I don't have any special reasons. The success of 'The Sacred Flame of Yin and Yang' isn't really due to me. Wang Pangzi's appeal, the nostalgia for the first season, Min Jie and Yuan Yuan's fame, Qian Qian's cameo, and the powerful publicity—these are the main factors." Liu Jing smiled. You want me to fend off the drinks? I'm a wine connoisseur. "Oh, young master, you're really modest. If this film's success is out of ten, you, Liu Jing, deserve at least five points." Zhou Yun smiled and analyzed point by point, "The child star aura, the charm of veteran actors, the Hollywood bonus, the curiosity from the first film. And also, everyone saw the childhood Zhang Wuji, saw the teenage Zhang Wuji, and really wanted to see your adult Zhang Wuji. Fifteen years, three Zhang Wujis, witnessing two centuries, a generation's memory."

Sisi glanced at it, it was a pity Yang Mi wasn't there, otherwise she would have shown her a thing or two. Being good at striking up conversations doesn't equate to high emotional intelligence, and being talkative doesn't mean you're eloquent.

“You’ve overlooked something. The script is also very important. I’ve learned from my experience that this time the script wasn’t polished properly. If the script had been polished for a year or two, we wouldn’t have lost so much money,” Jiang Wen said.

Sisi pouted, "If you polish it for another year or two, people will understand it even less."

Failure is failure. Is it so hard to admit defeat? There's no point in finding endless excuses.

They complained about the scheduling, criticized the competitors, and now they're blaming the script.

And you even say the audience won't understand? If you know the audience won't understand, why bother making it? Are you deliberately making things difficult for the audience? The audience certainly won't tolerate that.

What a great director! He's not decisive at all; he's not even as good as Fatty Wang, who's a bachelor.

"Actually, this film isn't that bad; it still has a considerable amount of revenue from overseas distribution," Liu Jing comforted her.

It would have been better if they hadn't mentioned overseas distribution; once it was brought up, Jiang Wen's face darkened.

The overseas distribution revenue was indeed substantial, although not much of it went into his pocket. But it gave him a lot of confidence, and when Bona released the product domestically, they made 600 copies.

The previous record-breaking film was "The Promise," which only had 470 copies.

The filming shocked the CEO. Before filming started, he thought it was another trap. Had he missed out on a windfall?

Mr. Wang made a round of phone calls to predict the box office of "The Sun Also Rises." Lao Han predicted 160 million yuan, Bona's Yu Dong predicted 120 million yuan, and both said that Jiang Wen would be the fourth director to gross over 100 million yuan.

The King predicted a box office of 60 million, and the lower the prediction, the happier he would be. He also consulted Chunqiu and Yinghuang, and after careful analysis, Yinghuang predicted a box office of 180 million, representing a wishful thinking.

Zhang Min didn't have time to research this; she was currently overseas preparing for her pregnancy.

Zhang Min casually predicted 1.9 million, but insisted on a slightly higher figure than Eagle King, since she wouldn't have to pay the price if she was wrong.

With the first week of release over, the King was all smiles, thinking, "If I die, my fellow Daoists will too." The opening week box office was less than five million, and the final box office is projected to be at most twenty million.

He wasn't the only one who fell into the trap; Chunqiu and Yinghuang were also caught in the trap, making them incredibly happy.

He often mocked Zhang Min in private, saying she was all talk and no action, and that with such poor judgment she thought she could succeed in the film industry? He was utterly clueless, and now she'd lost everything. In the mainland film industry, Huayi Brothers is the uncrowned king; you Hong Kong and Taiwan visitors are just noobs.

After three days of the release of "The Sacred Flame Order," the King could no longer laugh; he felt a tightness in his anus.

"That's no big deal. The box office results are already set, and it won't affect the sun rising as usual. When I was filming last year, someone recommended a novel to me, Ma Shitu's 'Ten Tales of the Night,' and I really liked the story 'The Story of Stealing an Official.' I just got the rights and I'm going to adapt it for the screen. That's the second thing."

"You want to get Spring Airlines to invest?" Liu Jing guessed.

"I, Jiang Wen, may lose more money than I gain when I make movies, but I'm never short of investment. My personal charm is just irresistible." Jiang Wen said smugly, rubbing his hair.

"Ugh! I can't take it anymore, I'm going to throw up." Zhou Yun said, patting her chest in a fake manner.

Jiang Wen glared at his wife and continued, "I won't come to you about the investment; I'll go directly to President Wen. If I, Jiang Wen, have the ability to make you lose money, I also have the ability to make you make money. If you lose money on this film, we'll make double the money on the next one."

"You want me to direct?" Liu Jing guessed again.

"I'm good at directing and acting myself." Jiang Wen said irritably, "If you direct, what am I supposed to do? Isn't that stealing my business?"

"So you've been talking for so long just to show off?" Liu Jing said irritably. "You've been rambling on for so long, but this has nothing to do with me."

"Among the younger generation, you're the most famous male actor, and Liu Yifei is the most famous female actor. I'd like to invite you and your siblings, uh, brother and sister." Jiang Wen took a sip of water to calm himself down.

When he mentioned brother and sister, Qianqian's gaze swept over him, calm as still water, unfathomable as an abyss. This seasoned veteran was startled and forgot what he was about to say.

“If there’s a suitable role, I wouldn’t mind taking it. Sisi is too busy, she doesn’t have time.” Liu Jing declined on Sisi’s behalf.

Jiang Wen's go-to leading lady is his own wife, and in his dramas, female characters are just accessories, they don't stand out at all, so why bother joining in the fun?

"There's a third thing. You know about the remake of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' right?" Jiang Wen said dismissively. His original target was Liu Jing. Bringing him into the show would generate a lot of buzz.

"You're not going to direct and act in this yourself, are you?" Liu Jing asked suspiciously.

"I'd love to, but they won't let me. Chen Jialin originally wanted me to play Cao Cao, but Gao Xixi immediately changed his mind. I went to see him the other day, and he made a deal. If I could get Sister Li to play Sun Shangxiang, he'd definitely give me back Cao Cao, and he promised me 150,000 yuan per episode. This is no joke, I'm Jiang Wen, not Sun Wukong. Forget 150,000, even if it were 15 billion, I still couldn't get Sister Li to play." Jiang Wen sighed.

I never imagined that the woman who played a minor role in his film more than a decade ago would become the famous Sister Li.

If he had eyes in the back and front, he would have treated that person like an ancestor.

Jiang Wen is now very glad that he wasn't rude to people when filming "Bridget Jones in New York".

"We can invite them." Sisi responded quickly. Let alone 1.5 billion, even if it were 100 million, her mother wouldn't hesitate.

A while ago, when I was in the US, Sister Li was looking at her daughter's endorsement and business fees, which amounted to tens of millions a year. She said sourly, "Why doesn't anyone ask me to be a spokesperson? I'm not doing badly either. I don't ask for much, just ten million a year, enough to earn some milk powder money for my future grandson."

"Pfft..." Zhou Yun laughed. The girl was quite humorous and not as aloof as people said.

Jiang Wen thought Qianqian was joking, and laughed twice before saying, "Gao Xixi is just trying to make things difficult for people, but I, Jiang Wen, am not one to be trifled with. He's given me another problem: he can't invite my mother, so he asked me to invite my daughter instead. I've shamelessly come today, so please give this lady some face."

"Last year, the production team of 'Red Cliff' approached me to play Sun Shangxiang, but my mother didn't agree." Xixi hesitated for a moment, was tempted for a second, but still refused.

She's acted in too many period dramas; if she continues, people will say she only knows how to act in period dramas.

"If the 'Red Cliff' production team is no good, then the script is garbage. John Woo is too stubborn. I gave him a few suggestions, and he just kicked me out. He has no tolerance at all," Jiang Wen complained.

"Old Jiang, even if Xixi agrees, the role of Cao Cao isn't yours," Liu Jing chuckled. You're not offering suggestions; you want to scrap all the scenes involving Cao Cao and start over. If I were John Woo, I wouldn't have hired you in the first place.

Jiang Wen has fallen back into his old ways. With the filming of "New Three Kingdoms" underway, he wants to change Cao Cao's scenes again. Gao Xixi is furious. Not only is his salary high, but he also makes a lot of trouble. What am I supposed to do with you? Treat you like a king?

When Chen Jialin was being prepared, the cast was very impressive: Jiang Wen played Cao Cao, Chen Baoguo played Sima Yi, Cheng Long played Sun Jian, Xiao Fangzi played Cao Zhi, Xie Tingfeng played Lü Bu, and Cecilia Cheung played Diao Chan...

After Gao Xixi took over, the first person he cut was Jiang Wen, whose salary was 15 yuan per episode.

Jiang Wen was naturally unwilling and started making a fuss, giving Gao Xixi a terrible headache.

"I told him the same thing, but Gao Xixi just finds him annoying and deliberately makes things difficult for him to give up." Zhou Yun sighed. Having a husband who wants to be like Cao Cao is so tiring.

"Hey! What do you know? If I bring Liu Yifei to him, let's see what he has to say. I've done my research on the role of Cao Cao. Looking at the younger generation in the entertainment industry, who could be more suitable than me?" Jiang Wen said proudly.

Sisi's heart skipped a beat, but she bit her lip and said, "Never mind, Yang Mi is also vying for this role, so I won't join in."

Yang Mi's first choice for the role was Diao Chan, but Qianqian thought it was unlikely, saying that Diao Chan was not pretty and had unrealistic expectations.

The second choice was Xiao Qiao, but Xixi still felt it was unlikely; she thought playing Da Qiao would be more suitable.

"Who is Yang Mi? You're afraid of her... Si, Zhou Yun, why did you kick me?" Jiang Wen was trying to provoke him when his wife suddenly kicked him.

Who is Yang Mi? Jiang Wen really didn't know. New people appear in the entertainment industry every day, and he couldn't be bothered to pay attention unless they were particularly famous or had unique characteristics.

"Oops, haha, just kidding." Zhou Yun was a little embarrassed. Why did you say that out loud?
Her husband didn't know who Yang Mi was, but she did. And before coming here, she was quite certain that Yang Mi and Liu Jing were having an affair.

Jiang Wen fell silent, as if he had said something wrong? Who was Yang Mi? Liu Yifei was wary of her, and even his own wife was wary of her.

Fortunately, someone knocked on the door at that moment, easing the couple's embarrassment.

As for the brother and sister, they didn't feel embarrassed at all. They just habitually fell silent when they heard Yang Mi's name.

The door opened, and people came in; seven people lined up outside the door.

Those inside the door look out in astonishment, while those outside look in amazement.

"Old Cai, why are you so free?" Liu Jing was surprised and annoyed, because Old Cai never came to the temple without a reason.

Sisi subconsciously put her arm around Liu Jing's arm, her small hands rubbing her waist. She thought there wouldn't be any ladies tonight, but a few more had come.

"I'm looking for Xixi, not you. Don't be so sentimental." Old Cai's face darkened. "We all came together, and you're only targeting me."

"Ahem, I'm also looking for Xixi, I'm here on someone's behalf," Huang Lei quickly explained.

"What a coincidence, me too, I was also commissioned by someone." He Jiong said with a grin.

Everyone turned their attention to the last person, Xu Zheng, scratching his bald head, "Wife, hurry up and think of something, let's find Qianqian too."

"So you're all looking for Xixi. I guess I'll have to go." Liu Jing sighed, feeling like his protagonist aura was about to be taken away.

“You siblings…” Jiang Wen’s eyes widened like saucers. He wanted to say, “I’m also looking for Qianqian.”

Turning around, I saw that Qianqian was holding Liu Jing's arm and resting her head on his shoulder, showing no restraint in physical contact.

"What siblings? This is a sister-in-law." Zhou Yun kicked her husband again; he was such a blockhead.

Jiang Wen was stunned for a moment, but reacted quickly, "Sister-in-law, you have to help me this time. I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

Click...

A thunderclap resounded, and with a loud crash, the gift in Old Cai's hand fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)